One of my favourite Einstein quotes is

‘If I only had 60 minutes to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 mins thinking about solutions’

We rarely do this. Often, we’re guilty of seeing a problem and immediately jumping to solutions.. Hans Rosling in his book ‘Factfulness’ calls this ‘The Urgency Instinct’. It’s our need to act quickly in the face of an imminent danger. As a consequence we often make bad decisions or follow the wrong course of action. In his experience, decisions are rarely ‘now or never’ and rarely ‘either / or’.

So, how do we respond when we come across a challenge we want to attack straight away?

Follow the advice of Einstein and press the pause button. Reflect before you jump in.

Broadly you have 2 questions to ask yourself.

1 Is it the right challenge"?

2 Have I expressed it clearly enough?

Here’s some suggestions to help you answer these questions.

QUESTION 1. Getting to the Right Challenge

1.1 Zoom in

In my experience, we often try to take on challenges that are too vague or broad. For example, we need to ‘grow our business’ or ‘attract more customers’. With these types of challenges, it’s difficult to know where to start. A client of mine likened them to trying to ‘boil the ocean’. Instead, break it down. Give your challenge a focal point. It’s much better to have several specific challenges rather than one big one. You can get a clearer handle on them. In my head, I have a rule of 3. I don’t why, but as the song goes, it’s the magic number.

1.2 Zoom Out

Alternatively, we may need to think wider. For example, you may think that ‘missing important deadlines’ is a key business problem. However, the true challenge may be a lack of leadership or poor business systems. Ask yourself, is there a problem behind the problem? Is my focus too narrow? Can I look at it from a broader perspective? However, be careful - see the previous point. Make sure it’s still specific enough to be able to work with.

1.3 Use tools

I know it’s generally derided and misused, but the SWOT Analysis is still a great tool to use to help crystallise your challenge. Don’t simply fill in the boxes and file it away. Use it. Cross-reference each element, by asking questions such as:

• how can we leverage our strengths to take advantage of our opportunities?

• how can our strengths overcome our threats?

• do our weaknesses undermine our opportunities?

• how do our threats expose our weaknesses?

The SWOT is much maligned. It can be a powerful diagnostic tool.

Another great tool is the Fishbone Diagram or Cause and Effect diagram, invented by Kaoru Ishikawa in 1968. It’s a creative tool that’s great at getting to the underlying causes of a problem. When completed it resembles the skeleton of a fish, hence the name. Here’s how you complete it. Do it on your own or in a small team. See below for an explanation of the steps involved.

By looking at the root causes of a problem, you can pinpoint more precisely where you need to focus.

QUESTION 2. Expressing It Clearly

Even when we’ve identified the right challenge, the way we express it can be woolly or uninspiring. Here are some suggestions on how to sharpen it.

2.1 Re-express it as a question.

A simple change of language can really help make it more inspiring. Instead of simply saying. ‘We need to grow our exports’ Say ‘How can we grow our exports?’ It can make a big difference. A question demands a response and becomes the starting point for finding answers.

An even more powerful approach is to express it as a Propelling Question. This term comes from Adam Morgan and Mark Barden’s fab book, ‘A Beautiful Constraint’.

A Propelling Question has two parts. It combines a Bold Ambition, with a Significant Constraint. An example from the book is how Audi articulated their challenge of trying to win the Le Mans 24-hour race. They expressed it as:

‘How do we win the race (ambition) with engines no more powerful than our competitors (constraint)’

By incorporating your key constraint within the Propelling Question, your challenge has an even sharper focal point. You’re forced to confront what’s stopping you from achieving your ambition. You’re then forced to think creatively to find answers.

2.2 Get SMART

One way of sharpening your challenge is to use the principles of SMART. (You know what this means I’m sure) I’m not saying that all challenges should be written using SMART language. Instead, use it as a checklist to ensure you’re crystal clear on what the issue is and to make it even tighter.

2.3 Simplify the language

Sometimes we can overcomplicate a challenge by using jargon. Instead, use words and phrasing that you feel are simpler and more inspiring. Words like penetration, and advocacy. They sound quite dull. Instead of saying ‘increase consumer advocacy’. Say ‘create super-fans’. Instead of ‘increase penetration’ say ‘get more people to choose us’. Not everyone works in marketing. Not everyone understands the lingo.

2.4 Use a consistent construct

One way to ensure consistency in the way you capture your challenge is to follow a framework. It may appear a bit formulaic, but it can force clarity of thinking.

Try this construct:

Get (insert target audience)

To (think / feel / act)

By (desired outcome)

Here’s a fictitious example

Get (small business owners) to (feel we’re on their side) by (creating tools they find useful)

So to summarise

The Urgency Instinct has served us well in the past. It’s kept us alive and safe from imminent danger. However, it’s not always useful in dealing with complex business issues. Instead, stop and think. Pinning down the right challenge or set of challenges is hard. It requires a lot of reflection, analysis, and critical thinking. It’s much easier and much more enjoyable to simply come up with lots of ideas. Try to avoid this.

Once you’ve developed the right challenge and expressed it in a way that’s clear and motivating, life becomes easier. You’ll focus your energies more effectively and develop much better solutions.